Ipiit – The Food Ambassador App

I’ve used Ipiit for about a year now and can say with certainty that it is a useful app for those of us with diet restrictions or allergies. It’s simple point and scan functionality makes it accessible on the go, and has proven itself a good companion in the grocery store many times over.

The setup is straightforward–select your food allergies/diet restrictions for the app to remember. When you scan a barcode, you’ll now be told if the food is “ok for you” dependent on your food allergies/diet restrictions.

In this example, I scanned mochi ice cream at my local Grand Mart (an international food grocery store). Unfortunately, this item is “not ok for you” [me]. Luckily, Ipiit will suggest alternatives below the unfortunate news.

Plus, if I’m interested in knowing why it isn’t a product I should eat, I can easily click the “not for you” button to find out.

By Xing out of this page I can then select the ingredients list from above the “not for you button” to learn exactly which ingredient is to blame.

The only problem I’ve encountered with this app is that about 20% of the time the food item I’m interested in is not in their database. In these cases, the app asks if you’re a helper and want to submit information about the food you just scanned. They aren’t clear on how they will vet this user generated information, which makes me a little uneasy, since anyone can be a helper. In all likelihood the app developers have a process for intaking new records into their database which includes an investigation and verification process for the new information. I’m betting they do, since I’ve never had an issue with any of the Ipiit verified gluten free purchases I’ve made to date.

If you use Ipiit or another food scanning app to help you navigate the gluten free lifestyle, please share it with me in the comments. I’m always itching to find new techniques for simplifying my life!